TRAFFIC REGULATIONS
The State of Utah and local towns have laws regulating ATV use. These
laws are intended to provide for the orderly and safe use of ATV's while
protecting people, property, and the environment. Please follow them so
the privilege of ATVing will not be revoked by the State or the Federal
agencies primarily responsible for managing the Paiute ATV Trail.
Before you arrive you need to know that ATV's owned by residents of
Utah must be registered yearly with the Utah Division of Parks and
Recreation. Residents of other states may keep their ATV's in Utah for
14 days without registering them, so long as the ATV's are properly
licensed or registered in the home state.
You may operate your ATV on public lands or roads that are either
signed or otherwise designated as open by the managing agency. The
Fishlake National Forest publishes a travel map which designates Forest
areas that are open, restricted, or closed to motorized travel. Copies
of the most recent edition of this map can be obtained from the Forest
at the address listed below. For private land, you must obtain the
owner's permission before leaving any right-of-way.
The State of Utah recognizes three age classes with respect to
driving ATV's. No one under eight years old may operate an ATV on public
roads, trails, or lands. Drivers ages eight through sixteen years old
must possess an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) education certificate issued
by the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. Drivers in this age
bracket also must wear a helmet and be accompanied and supervised by an
adult driving an ATV. The legal driving age in Utah is sixteen. ATV
drivers sixteen and older must possess a valid drivers license or an OHV
education certificate.
Education certificates are issued to anyone eight years or older who
completes the Utah Department of Parks and Recreation OHV education
course or passes an OHV knowledge and skills test. The Division of Parks
and Recreation can be contacted at the locations listed below. This
course is highly recommended for anyone, regardless of age, wishing to
ride an ATV. It will show you the capabilities and limitations of your
machine and will teach the importance of "treading lightly".
Towns around the Paiute ATV Trail are unique in that they have
written ordinances permitting ATV travel on their streets so
recreationists can access needed supplies and services. These ordinances
designate which streets are open to ATV travel and under what
conditions. Streets open to ATV's are signed in the towns, and are shown
on the Paiute ATV Trail map published by Trails Illustrated for the
Fishlake Discovery Association. The towns also allow travel on other
streets when the rider is going directly to a motel, service station,
restaurant, or residence.
In towns the speed limit for ATV's is 10 miles per hour All drivers
must wear helmets. ATV's must be equipped with mufflers to prevent
sparks which might start fires and to prevent the disturbance of others.
ATV's must stop at all stop and yield signs and must travel with
headlights on. Operators must travel on the right-hand side of the road
in single file.
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